As early as 1938 and then after World War II, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) razed buildings in neighborhoods, block by block, to make way for twenty-four high-rise public housing projects. The neighborhood contains the highest geographical concentration of low-income public housing projects in the United States, approximately 1.5 square miles. Many residents felt that whatever the inadequacy of their housing, they could not stand by and watch the wholesale demolition of homes and neighborhoods. They were joined by others who, ineligible for public housing, were faced with the threat of homelessness. Together, they organized protests and blocked additional destruction of property. The last large-scale housing project in East Harlem was completed in 1965. Such activism gave rise to political groups like the Young Lords, which came to prominence in 1969 when they used confrontational tactics to bring services and attention to the residents of East Harlem. Some of the Young Lords alumni include journalists Juan Gonzalez, Felipe Luciano, Geraldo Rivera, and Pablo Guzmán.

Historically, 116th Street (Luis Muñoz Marín Blvd., named for the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, who lived in East Harlem before returning to Puerto Rico in 1940 and ushered in Commonwealth status to the island) has been the primary business hub of Spanish Harlem. From Lexington to First Avenues the street is lined with businesses selling food, clothing, and other specialty and ethnically specific goods. East 116th Street terminates at FDR Drive, East River Plaza, a retail mall that opened in 2009 with large commercial tenants—Costco, Target, Best Buy, and Marshalls. Along Park Avenue between East 111th and 116th Streets is the famous La Marqueta, an enclosed market that once housed 500 mostly Puerto Rican merchants who presided over stalls in five buildings under the elevated Metro-North tracks selling fresh tropical produce, meats, fish, and dairy products. Once the spiritual heart of East Harlem, La Marqueta was a vibrant regional center for Spanish food and groceries during the 1950s and 1960s. But a long decline began in the 1970s, and today, despite repeated efforts at revitalization, the old atmosphere has all but disappeared. East Harlem’s commercial and business district has expanded to encompass Third Avenue between 112th and 124th Streets.

The cultural crossroads of East Harlem is located from 104th to 108th Streets between Fifth and Madison Avenues. In addition to El Museo del Barrio and the Museum of the City of New York, other organizations that strengthen East Harlem’s cultural identity include the artist collective Taller Boricua, the Afro-Dominican folklore group Palo Monte, Los Pleneros de la 21 (a performing ensemble which preserves the Afro-Puerto Rican traditions of the Bomba and Plena), and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (which presents and produces bilingual professional theater and offers artistic development through its Raúl Juliá Training Unit to emerging and established artists). The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, home to the Raices Latin Music Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, serves as a focus for theatre, dance, and musical performance in the neighborhood; it also hosts the annual competition to award the Charlie Palmieri Memorial Piano Scholarship, which was established in Palmieri’s memory by Tito Puente for the benefit of intermediate and advanced young (aged twelve to twenty-five) pianists’ study of Latin-style piano.

This visually rich app consists of detailed New York City visitor’s information from visitor centers, tourist websites, weather, news, holidays, sales tax, smoking rules, tipping and transportation to and from airports and in the city

Detailed descriptions which include uncommonly known cultural and historical facts, websites, phone numbers, hours of operation, prices, menus and hyperlinks that link entries and lead to websites for additional historical and factual information.

Entries sorted by name, category, distance, price, and neighborhood

Once click to websites, phones, online ordering, online reservations, current menus and more

Live calendar

Ability to share user comments and mark and save favorites

Ask the authors questions through in-app comments to get personalized feedback at your finger tips

Restaurants featuring soul food to French cuisine and everything in between;

Unique ethnic retail shops;

Museums that celebrate various cultures;

Fine art galleries;

Majestic churches and gospel music;

Amazing landmarks;

Parks and free recreational activities;

Guest accommodations;

Free internet access and Wi-fi locations;

Authentic tours of Harlem;

Annual events and festivals;

Sales & Deals

Literally a guide in my pocket

Posted by Max on 13th Jan 2012

I can only subscribe to what other people already have told about the guide. It’s just great that I can read a place description, actually give a call its manager, find it on a map and even hook up on its Twitter channel to keep my eye on it. Very smart!

NEW YORK (AP) — When Spanish Harlem Orchestra snagged its second Grammy award, it was a victory for the old school salsa sound over tough competition from Latin music’s new guard.

Bandleader Oscar Hernandez — who has worked with such salsa greats as Ray Barretto and Cuban singer Celia Cruz — said Monday that the win venerates the traditional “salsa dura” sound that for years has taken a back seat to the more commercial “salsa romantica.”

“The music speaks for itself,” Hernandez said by telephone from Los Angeles. “It’s high energy and high quality … Some people consider it old guard or a museum piece. But other people relish it and see the beauty of it.”

The album’s name “Viva la Tradicion,” says it all. By winning the best Latin tropical album category, it knocked out such heavyweights as Puerto Rico’s El Gran Combo, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Dominican merengue star Juan Luis Guerra — who won album of the year at the Latin Grammys in November.

“I’m sure a lot of people will take notice and say ‘Who are these guys?’ We’ve built our fan base little by little, hopefully this will help it grow even more,” said the 56-year-old Hernandez.

Actually, the decade-old New York-based band has had quite a run at the Grammys: Each of its four studio album have earned a Grammy nomination.

In 2005, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra beat out salsa superstar Marc Anthony to win what then best salsa/merengue album for “Across 110th Street,” which included guest spots by Rueben Blades.

The 13-member band specializes in a hard-driving brand of salsa that reigned in the 1960s and ’70s, but has since been displaced by crooners who sing a softer brand of salsa.

When Cruz and Tito Puente died, Hernandez said the big Latin radio stations had to rush out and buy their music so they could play it, because they didn’t own copies of the old records anymore.

“I hope this could be an impetus to keep this kind of music alive,” said Hernandez. “The salsa on commercial radio is not good music, it’s not representative of what this music is. It’s been forgotten over the last 15 years, and people have been latching on to reggaeton and pop salsa. It’s an uphill struggle.”

While realtors are rebranding the band’s namesake neighborhood as SpaHa (a gentrified home to Manhattan‘s first Target), the musicians toiling in the uptown ensemble embody the mettle that first put El Barrio on the map – and led to the group’s fourth Grammy nomination.

“It’s taken me 35 years now to become the greatest thing since hot water,” says Oscar Hernandez, co-founder and leader of the 13-member salsa band.

“We’re not a bunch of flyweights.

We’ve earned the right to take that name. Spanish Harlem is a microcosm of Latinos in the city … and we play quintessential New York salsa.”

Hernandez, 56, was born and raised in the South Bronx, but he was drawn along with many Puerto Ricans in the ’70s to El Barrio’s vibrant cultural scene.

“Spanish Harlem was a place where Latinos congregated,” he says.

“Similar to what was happening in black Harlem … it was an important place for the development of Latin culture. We hopped on the train and came down for the shopping, the social events, to visit family members.”

And, of course, to listen to music.

Hernandez haunted the Latin jazz and salsa clubs, particularly the now-shuttered Corso at 86th St. and Lexington Ave. (“there’s a gym there now,” he says mournfully), and began playing piano professionally by the time he was 15.

He got his big break at 18 when Ismael Miranda, aka El Niño Bonito de la Salsa (The Pretty Boy of Salsa), invited Hernandez to join him. “He was a young, good-looking singer, so all the girls came out to see us,” he laughs.

That was the perfect springboard to begin networking with other city musicians.

“It was the university of the streets,” he recalls. “During the course of now thirtysomething years, I’ve gotten to play with everybody.

“I learned from the best, and I learned from the worst,” he laughs. “So when I formed my own band back in 2000, I came in with a lot of experience.”

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra has also paid its dues over the last 10 years, performing “hard-core salsa” as opposed to softer, radio-friendly sounds, and building an underground fan base.

“We play salsa dura, which is raw and hard-hitting,” he explains. “Romantic pop salsa today doesn’t have that hard-core energy the music had in the ’60s and ’70s. That sound had been lost, and that’s what we brought back to the table. Now people are going, ‘Wow, these cats are some badass dudes!’ ”

All four of the orchestra’s albums have been nominated for Grammys. “Across 110th Street,” their second record, took the 2002 award for Best Salsa/Merengue Album.

Their latest album, 2010’s “Viva La Tradición,” is up for Best Tropical Latin Album tonight.

“I’m taking my little entourage and looking forward to the Grammys again,” he says. “I get to rub shoulders with the music world, and the after-parties are off the hook. It’s an amazing time, but obviously it’s a whole lot better if you win!”

He feels pretty confident about his orchestra’s chances.

“The quality of the music that we do speaks for itself,” he says. “And as good as the record sounds, the band sounds even better in person. It’s one of the finest ensembles of music of any kind that you’ll find anywhere in the world. I really feel that in my heart.”